The instant invention addresses the problem of keeping an infant's upper body garment such as a shirt or undershirt tucked in around the waist and diaper area to ensure that the midsection of its body remains fully covered. The objectives to be achieved by covering this area are various, including the provision of warmth, comfort, a neat appearance, and protection of the skin. As a baby becomes more mobile, moving beyond the infant stage in his/her growth, it becomes increasingly important to cover its midsection in order to protect the skin. A baby crawling on a floor inside a residence or care facility encounters rough surfaces which may scratch or otherwise harm its unprotected skin. While playing in an outside setting, covering the skin is necessary in order to protect it from the adverse effects of the sun's rays, from unsafe or unclean play areas and from the sting or bite of insects.
Because infants wear diapers for sanitary reasons any shirt or upper body garment worn by the infant cannot be tucked inside of the diaper to be held in place by the means holding the upper portion of the diaper together. If an undershirt or upper body garment is tucked inside of a diaper, when the diaper becomes wet the undershirt or outer body garment acts as a wick such that the undershirt or outer garment becomes wet which is highly undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,569 to Campbell discloses a shirt or upper body garment hold down device utilizing a set of four garters. The device has a central elongated elastic unit with garters at each corner which fits between the legs of an infant over its diaper. This unit adds to the bulk of an infant's clothing. Additionally, it increases the time and level of difficulty involved in changing an infant's diaper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,648 to Mason describes a diaper designed to provide maximum absorptive capacity in both male and female babies. The diaper attempts to address the problem of securing undershirts or upper body garments by providing pressure sensitive tapes attached to the diaper to extend from the central portion of one or both of the edges for attachment to the lower edge of an undershirt or similar clothing worn by an infant. Additionally, the patent specification states that the diaper may be secured on the infant by pinning in a conventional manner. This design requires that the undershirt o upper body garment be tucked inside of the diaper so that the adhesive which is on the adhesive tab may engage the outer surface of the undershirt or outer body garment. Of course with this design the undershirt or upper body garment may function as a wick when the diaper becomes wet.
Accordingly, it becomes desirable to provide a diaper having an outer garment attachment means which attaches to the inside surface of the outer garment such that the garment does not have to be tucked inside of the diaper.